Life Lessons
by MickeyRos
Summary: A series written during the events of Season 3 where Isabelle comes to learn different lessons on life through her experiences. All parts up!
1. Breaking Up

**Summary:** This is the first story in a series in which Isabelle learns different things since she has been aged. A missing scene from _Graduation Day_, in which Isabelle decides to offer herself to Dennis Ryland as a fountain of knowledge about the 4400.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the 4400. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while.

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**Life Lessons: Breaking-up**

Isabelle sat beside Shawn watching him as he slept. She hadn't seen him since she'd been released from NTAC hours ago. Not to mention the unplanned talk with Shawn's uncle had got her thinking about her relationship with Shawn. He'd said before that he didn't hate her. But, she had to know for sure how he felt.

Shawn turned over on his back, opening his eyes drowsily. He was surprised to see her in his room, on his bed. "Isabelle," he croaked as he moved to sit up in his bed. Clearing his throat, he reached over and turned on the light, "What are you doing here?"

"I-I wanted to talk."

He shoved a hand through his hair and looked at her. "Can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm tired." He sighed.

"No, Shawn. It can't wait. I have to talk to you now." Isabelle rose off the bed and began pacing. "You said before at Daniel Armand's house that you didn't hate me, was that true?"

"Of course. Look, Isabelle, I don't hate you but, I don't understand why you felt you had to kill so many people."

Isabelle paused in her pacing to stare back at Shawn. "But, I did it for you Shawn, to protect you. I didn't want to see you get hurt anymore." She moved to sit on the bed beside him. "Don't you understand Shawn, they were going to kill you. I couldn't let that happen." She reached for his hand, "I couldn't let them kill you."

"And what about Matthew? What was he trying to kill me too? Was he a threat?"

Isabelle froze dropping his hand, she sat up straighter. "Who told you about that?" She asked emotionlessly.

Shawn turned from the bed to pull on his pants. "What does it matter who told me? Matthew died in my apartment on the same day you took me out of the hospital. So obviously something happened."

"It's not what you think Shawn. Matthew had a heart attack."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Matthew was 36 years old; in perfect health and all of the _sudden_ he just had a heart attack." He asked incredulously. "I'm sorry but that's just a little hard to believe Isabelle, even for me."

Isabelle glanced down at the bed that the two of them had shared many times before. "What do you want me to say Shawn … that I killed Matthew. That I caused his heart attack?" She went to stand before him.

"Did you? Did you cause his heart attack, Isabelle? Did you kill him?"

Isabelle hesitated before answering him as she raised her chin in defiance. "Yes. But, it wasn't what you think Shawn. I had to kill him; I had to do it for you, for us." She propped her hands on his bare chest, "now we can be together." She smiled at him with a childlike faith that everything would end happily with no recourse for them, as if everything she had did in the past few days would change his feelings for her.

Suddenly feeling old, wizened with a world of experience, he grabbed her hands. "No, Isabelle we can't be together. I need sometime, some space."

Realization dawned on Isabelle that was it. This is what Matthew had warned her about … what she'd been expecting. "You're breaking up with me aren't you? Not just a break this time; but ending this, permanently?" She pulled her hands from his grasp, backing away from him.

Shawn didn't move from but nodded in response. "I think it's for the best. I took advantage of you Isabelle and I shouldn't have. I'm the adult—,"

"I'm an adult too, Shawn."

"I know, I just meant that I'm older. I should have known better. Even then things have changed Isabelle we aren't the same people we were when this started. You've changed Isabelle." He paused. "You've killed people, 4400s and I don't know how to deal with that."

Isabelle tilted her head to the side studying Shawn as though he were a specimen in a lab. "You're scared of me aren't you? You're scared of my powers." He didn't answer her but then he didn't need to she knew the truth. "I wouldn't hurt you Shawn. You have to know that."

"I do," he lied. Shawn wasn't certain of anything with Isabelle at this point. Even though, she said she wouldn't hurt him, but he wasn't even certain she truly grasped the idea of life and death with all her power. She had attempted to kill Richard before, her own father. He'd heard others whispering about it, about how Isabelle had seemed to give her father a heart attack in the hallway. They said that something had made her stop before she had killed Richard completely. The fact remained that she had killed people, not necessarily innocents but, people just the same who woke up one day on the wrong side of Isabelle's temperament and she turned their powers against them. It was enough for him to be wary of her.

"Isabelle, I have a meeting in the morning that I have to get up early for. I need my rest."

Isabelle nodded slightly. "Of course, Shawn, I understand." She turned to leave his room. She paused at the doorway to look back at him. "I just want you know … I … I want—I hope you get better soon."

Shawn nodded as he watched Isabelle leave his apartment closing the door behind her. As soon as the door closed, he slid down to sit on his bed his shoulders hunching as he let out the breath he'd been holding. That had been easier than he'd expected. At least it was finally over.

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Isabelle walked into her room contemplating her conversation with Shawn and something Matthew had said to her. He'd warned her that ultimately she and Shawn would be on two different sides and she had hoped he was wrong. At the same time she had been expecting the break-up. 

The only she had never anticipated it hurting as much as it did. She had not been prepared for how much she would invest in the relationship, how much she would care for Shawn. All the books said how break-ups were inevitable. But, none had mentioned how it would she care for Shawn or how much it would hurt to know that he didn't want her.

Opening the door to her room, Isabelle recalled her earlier conversation with Tom Baldwin; he believed that she was destined to be evil. Matthew had said as much as well —the Future needed her to destroy the 4400; in fact they've made her so she would destroy them. Everyone seemed to assume that she would either save them or kill them that she was to be the deciding factor in a war between the sides of the 4400.

The only one, who never expected anything of her to be anything other than Isabelle Tyler, was Shawn. When she was first aged, Shawn was the only one who managed to make her feel like she could be normal. Even, now he made her feel better now because she knew that he was almost as powerful as she was and he still managed to be normal. She needed that; she needed him because without Shawn she was afraid of what she would do. He kept her grounded and with him by her side she was sure, she would never have to worry about being good or evil, she could just be Isabelle with him. With him there was no one else's agenda to worry about but her own. There was only one way to solve this problem, she simply couldn't let the relationship end.

She would just have to make sure that no one got in her way again. She wouldn't listen to Matthew or her father anymore, she would make decisions for herself and she would keep Shawn by her side. But, first she needed to insure that if a war started against the 4400s she wasn't apart of it. She needed to align herself with someone who would listen to her, someone who wouldn't have an agenda separate from her own.

Then, she would get Shawn back by her side. She wanted—no needed Shawn in her life by any means necessary. She had to do whatever it took to get him back. Even though, Shawn he said he wasn't afraid of her powers, she didn't believe him. She'd seen Shawn's face when she turned Daniel Armand's power on himself; he was scared of what she could do. It stood to reason, then that if she threatened to use her power against him he would come back to her. Either way, she'd have to put the first part of her plan in action before she went after Shawn. She needed to make an appointment to see Dennis Ryland.

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_Author's Note: Please tell me what you think, good or bad I want to know what you think._


	2. Honesty

**Author's Note**: This is the second part of the Life Lessons Series. It was written right after _The Gospel According to Collier_ aired, it's based a description in the Isabelle's character guide for what happened before she went to see Jordan in the episode.

**Summary**: Shawn encourages Isabelle to tell Jordan what she did so he can forgive her for "killing" him.

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Shawn waited in Isabelle's room as she went to put on some clothes. He had gotten a message from her while he and Richard had been attempting to get Jordan released. He was just thankful that his Uncle Tommy had come through for him in the end. In truth, though he knew if Kyle hadn't been in jail for the murder— _attempted_ murder of Jordan, then Uncle Tommy probably wouldn't have helped him at all.

None of that mattered, Jordan was alive with a complete memory now, everything could go back to normal. Well, as normal as things could get for a 4400.

"Shawn," Isabelle called as she reentered her living room. Her fiancé seemed a million miles away. She hadn't seen either him or her father in the few days since they postponed the wedding. Smoothing her hands over her pants she moved to sit down across from him on the sofa. "Shawn," she called again this time touching his leg to get his attention.

He jumped slightly, removing her hand from his leg. "Sorry, Isabelle, I didn't realize you had come in yet. What were you saying?"

"I— Daddy told me that everything went well with your Uncle." She started deciding not to start off with the heavy topic yet.

He nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, Uncle Tommy gave us a picture of Jordan in custody and we released it. So by this time tomorrow everyone will know that NTAC is holding him. There will be too many people protesting his holding outside NTAC headquarters so they will have to release him. "

"That's good. I know Daddy was worried about having to take him out another way."

Shawn frowned at her comment about Richard. "Right, I guess." He turned his body toward Isabelle so that he was facing her directly. "So your message said that you wanted to talk to me about something."

"Yes, I do." Isabelle replied clutching her hands together as she took comfort in looking at the engagement ring which she had picked out herself. Pulling her thoughts together she brought her gaze level with Shawn's. "It's about Jordan actually."

"Okay, what is it?"

"You know that I don't have much memory of when I was a baby. I can recall a few things about my parents mostly but nothing really vivid except for one thing." She paused to take a deep breath. "Jordan came to see me once; he wanted me to tell him his future. He wanted me to show that the death threat against him wasn't real."

"I remember it was after Maia had a vision of his death."

Isabelle nodded. "That's right. And I gave him a vision only it wasn't of a true one of the future. I sensed a lot of things from Jordan, horrible things that he was arrogant, greedy, and had an insatiable desire for power. I let him die. I led him to his death. It was my fault."

"I don't think so Isabelle. You weren't the reason Jordan was shot. Your vision probably gave him confidence and assurance to do what he wanted when everyone else was telling him not to. But he knew that Maia's visions have never been wrong." Leveling Isabelle's anxious eyes with his solemn one's he added. "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore because, he's back; he didn't die. The future took him to show him the way to stop whatever's coming. Think of it this way, if you didn't give him that vision then _They_ would have found a way to take him regardless of what happened."

Isabelle hoped Shawn was right. "Do you really believe that?'

"I do. And I think that if you talk to him and tell him what you told me he'll forgive you. He may be able to tell us how we can stop you from making the wrong choice when the time comes. He'll know what do."

Isabelle nodded. "If that's what you think I should do, I'll do it."

"Good." Shawn stood up. "It's getting late. I have to go, Richard and I to be up early to lead the protest at NTAC. "

"Of course," Isabelle stood up. She walked him to the door. "Goodnight Shawn."

Shawn paused in the doorway, to grasp Isabelle's hand. "Everything will work itself out. You'll see." With a brief squeeze, he left Isabelle by herself.

Isabelle closed the door after Shawn and moved to lean against, wrapping her arms around herself. "Everything will work out." She whispered to herself hoping that for her sake, Shawn was right.

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Tell me what you think! 


	3. Trust

Summary: Shawn meets with Isabelle after learning that she has gone to Dennis Ryland and is his source for Promicin.

**Who Can You Trust**

Shawn stood in the sand watching as the waves of Highland Beach rose and fell with a gentle sound. The sunny was just starting to go down with its bright beam of light shining into the dark blue water creating a fiery glow in its decent. He heard the rustling of tree branches behind him and turned at the sound. Isabelle had arrived.

"I didn't think you would come." He said as he walked over to stand just a few inches from where Isabelle as she came from the shelter of the trees.

"I almost didn't. My curiosity got the best of me. I didn't think you would want to talk to me once you heard," she inclined her head to the side silently asking the question that they both knew the answer to.

It was an odd picture to see her in boots on a beach. But, that was Isabelle for you, creating her own fashion statements with the army green wrap dress that hugged her figure. She certainly didn't look like any bodyguard he'd ever seen. "If you mean did Uncle Tommy tell me you're working for Dennis Ryland and as his security guard, he did. That's part of the reason I wanted to meet with you. Look, I know that Jordan that you had to leave the Center but he was wrong, Isabelle."

"Was he Shawn? I was upset and hurt at first." She started off walking around the sandy beach in her stiletto heeled black boots toward the ledge where he had been standing.

"But, once I thought about it I realized he was right." She turned then clasping her hands in front of him. "I don't belong at the Center, I never did—,"

"You're wrong Isabelle, what about your father, your mother they belong there and so did you."

"My parents are _4400s._ I'm not, I'm different. All these months I tried to fit in, to be normal but, I failed Shawn. Jordan was right, I'm not a 4400 and I can never be one. I decided to just give into my destiny Shawn, to do what I was put here to do. Let's be honest with each other, it's not like I ever really had a choice."

Shawn approached her then eyes full of concern and disbelief. "Is that what you really believe? That you don't have a choice? Its not true Isabelle, you always have a choice. "

Isabelle walked away from the ledge. "Do I really? I don't think so. Think about it Shawn. My mother died because I choose to live and Daddy—my father believes that I am evil, that I 'm an enemy to the 4400. Do you think that I don't have the capacity to do bad things, because I do." Moving to standing in front of him, the height of her shoes bring into direct eye contact with him. "I am capable of doing a lot of bad things. More than you realize. You should be happy Shawn, be glad that Jordan _saved_ you from me."

Shawn stared at Isabelle as a moment of clarity came upon him. "I didn't need Jordan to save me from you Isabelle. I was still going to marry you. You walked out on me. "

She wanted to believe him, she wished she could. But she couldn't. Leaving the Center had forced her to open her eyes to the bigger picture. Matthew had been right. By staying at the Center she had been trying to how hold onto a life that could never be hers. Shawn didn't love her, he probably never had. And worse he had never trusted her. He said she had a choice but she didn't. Destroying the 4400s was her destiny and that would never change. Isabelle broke eye contact from him stepping away . "I didn't come here for this." Shawn grabbed her arm. "People change, Shawn." She tugged her arm free and crossed her arms over her chest.

Shawn dropped his hands to his side watching as Isabelle closed herself off from him. "I'm beginning to see that." He replied not thinking only of Isabelle but Richard as well and his sudden allegiance to Jordan.

"I have to get back. Dennis is probably wondering where I am."

"You didn't tell him you were meeting me?"

"No, I didn't. But, I didn't think you were telling Jordan."

"Jordan doesn't need to know everything I do." He scoffed caustically. Stuck in his thoughts Shawn missed Isabelle paying special attention to his tone. "Listen, I don't know what Dennis Ryland has told you but I think you should be careful around him. Don't trust him completely." He warned her.

"You should take your own advice Shawn. Collier is more dangerous than you think. He's not the same man you knew before. He's more powerful, ruthless. And if you don't watch yourself you could get hurt." With that Isabelle turned and started walking back the way she came.

"I'm not afraid of Jordan or you, despite what you might think." Shawn called out.

Pausing, Isabelle turned and levels him with an intense gaze. "You should be, Shawn because you don't know what I am capable of." Without another word she continued walking through the forest back to her car. It was time to go back to her new life as Dennis Ryland's protector.

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Author's Note: The final part of this story should be up next week. Until then tell me what you think, I love feedback.

**3/30/08 A/N #2: I have edited the final part of this story and although it is complete I feel that it would work much better as a separate story on it's own. Therefore, the final part to this story will be added separately.**


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